Bitcoin vs. Bitcoin Cash
A neutral side-by-side look at Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH): live market data, how each one works and what it's for.
Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin on August 1, 2017, after a long dispute about how to scale. Supporters of bigger blocks created Bitcoin Cash to make on-chain payments cheaper; Bitcoin kept small blocks and moves cheap, fast payments to layers such as the Lightning Network.
Live comparison
| Measure | Bitcoin BTC | Bitcoin Cash BCH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | — | — |
| Market cap | — | — |
| Market cap rank | — | — |
| 24h trading volume | — | — |
| 24h change | — | — |
| 7-day change | — | — |
| Circulating supply | — | — |
| Maximum supply (CoinGecko) | — | — |
Loading live market data…
Key facts side by side
| Measure | Bitcoin BTC | Bitcoin Cash BCH |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2009 (January 3) | 2017 (August 1, split from Bitcoin) |
| Created by | Satoshi Nakamoto (a pseudonym; identity unknown) | No single founder: Bitcoin developers, miners and businesses who wanted bigger blocks |
| How it's secured | Proof of work (SHA-256 mining) | Proof of work (SHA-256 mining, the same as Bitcoin) |
| What it's for | Scarce digital money and a store of value, with no company or government in charge | Cheap everyday payments using much larger blocks than Bitcoin's |
| Maximum supply | 21,000,000 BTC | 21,000,000 BCH |
How they differ
- Block size: Bitcoin Cash allows blocks of at least 32 MB, with a limit that has adjusted to demand since a May 2024 upgrade. Bitcoin's blocks are far smaller.
- Shared history: anyone holding BTC at the split received the same amount of BCH. Both chains share Bitcoin's history up to 2017.
- Supply and mining: both cap supply at 21 million and use SHA-256 mining, so the same machines can mine either.
- Size: Bitcoin is many times larger by market value (see the live table).
This page compares how two cryptocurrencies work. It doesn't say which to buy, and nobody can reliably predict their prices. Both can fall sharply. Read how to research a cryptocurrency before deciding anything.
Questions
Is Bitcoin better than Bitcoin Cash?
Neither is better in every way. They chose different ways to scale: bigger blocks on the main chain (Bitcoin Cash) or small blocks with extra layers (Bitcoin). This isn't advice to buy either.
Can I send BCH to a Bitcoin address?
No. They're separate networks, and sending to the wrong one can lose the coins. Bitcoin Cash addresses often start with "bitcoincash:" or "q". See types of bitcoin.
Why is one coin's price so much higher than the other's?
The price of a single coin mostly reflects how many coins exist. Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash have very different supplies, so comparing prices per coin is misleading. Market cap (price × coins in circulation) is a better measure of size; see market cap explained.
Where does the live data come from?
From CoinGecko's public API, averaged across many exchanges and refreshed about once a minute. The facts table comes from each project's own documentation and the references listed under Sources.
Where to next
Sources
- Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (bitcoin.org)
- Bitcoin (Wikipedia)
- Bitcoin Cash (Wikipedia)
- Bitcoin Cash (bitcoincash.org)
- Bitcoin Cash Node v27.0.0: adaptive block size limit, May 2024 upgrade
- CoinGecko API (live market data)
Facts checked against the sources listed, as of October 29, 2026. Live data by CoinGecko, for information only and possibly delayed. Educational only; not financial advice. How we write and check pages.